Fate
by Kinzupa
Summary: On the outskirts of Konoha, Kiku and her parents fortunately lived a peaceful, normal life. Unfortunately for them, Fate hates normality and Kiku is suddenly thrown into the most unfortunate of circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! This is a new story, and it will be VERY slow at first, but i PROMISE that it will get better! Just bear with me for a bit, it's been a while since I've written a story. Also, i'm horrible at updating, so i apologize in advance. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy the first chapter! I'll be updating soon!**

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"mama, papa, can I train with you today?" A small girl asked her parents who were currently getting dressed for training that day.

"Not yet, sweetie, go play with Haru." The father said, gesturing to the stables where the horse, Haru lived. Living near the outskirts of Konoha was nice, but not many families lived that far from the main city, so Haru was the little girl's only playmate.

"Yes Papa, mama, train hard! And bring sweets when you come back!" The little girl yelled to her parents as she ran to the stables.

"We will, don't worry Kiku! We'll bring back your favorites!" The mother yelled back. Within

moments, the couple flashed out of the house.

"Thanks mama!" Kiku yelled over her shoulder as she continued running to the stables. Once

Haru made it to the stable, she was greeted by Haru's cheerful neigh. Kiku reached into a nearby bag and grabbed some of Haru's food.

"Mama and papa promised me some snacks, so they'll definitely bring some for you too!" Kiku sang as she gave Haru a few more snacks. "Wanna go for a stroll in the forest? I wanna grab some fruits for mama and papa when they get home later." Kiku continued singing. As if Haru could understand her, he neighed again and nodded his head a few times as if agreeing that they should go to the forest. Kiku just opened the door to his stall and he strolled right on out. Being only 7 years old and about 4 feet tall, she couldn't easily get onto Haru's back, but with the help of a stool and a few nudges from Haru's head, she made it onto his back. "Onward!" She yelled, and Haru began a light trot to the edge of the forest where a few of the berry bushes were tall enough to reach from his high back.

The day was nice, but being only a 7 year old and a horse, neither of them noticed a sudden flash of light just beyond the forest, so they continued on with their peaceful afternoon.

When they got there, there were still a bunch of berries there for her to grab, but there were empty patches where berries were missing from the last time she had gone picking berries for her parents. Picking berries helped her kill a lot of time while her parents trained, but if she wasn't picking berries, she would be playing tag with Haru or doing somersaults across the small farm her parents owned just outside of her house. Haru would always look after the little girl, and he always managed to get her in the house if she decided to fall asleep outside in the grass and her parents didn't come back from training for a mission that day.

Kiku was too young to know it, but she had a perfectly peaceful, normal life. She had a horse who cared for her like she was his offspring, and she had parents who purposefully took low level missions to sustain their income and to make sure they would always come home eventually even though they would never become famous and sometimes had to deal with other ninja teasing them for never taking high class missions. They may not spend a lot of time with Kiku, but they loved her, and they wanted to make sure she could live a peaceful life for as long as she possibly could, and if she wanted to, they would let her go to the ninja academy, and they knew she would want to, so they got her a saddle so she could ride Haru into the city and take her classes there. They truly wanted the best for her, that was all they hoped for. But fate has shitty plans doesn't it.


	2. Chapter 2

**In the forest**

"She's probably picking some berries right now, especially since we promised that we'd bring her some sweets." Himoka, Kiku's mother said.

"Of course she is. She takes after you after all." Torimo, Kiku's father, said. The two were jumping through the trees towards the edge of the forest where the training grounds continued towards the village when all of a sudden, they saw a flash of light which had blinded them temporarily and halted them in their tracks. At first, they were just confused and looked to the other for an explanation of some sort. All of a sudden, they were engulfed in smoke. Then, they saw red. Red fur was directly in front of them, and they didn't have the capacity to think so quickly after the two abnormal occurrences, and that halt costed them their lives. All of a sudden, the claw which had materialized in front of them immediately cut them in two. Fitting for a couple.

 **Back at the farm**

"Haru, I think this is enough berries, don't you?" Kiku playfully asked, grinning to herself cheerfully. _Parents are gonna love these. I picked them myself!_ Kiku thought, and she was just lightly swaying in her seat on Haru's back when all of a sudden she saw a large amount of smoke emerge from the forest. "Haru, what's go—" Before she could finish her sentence, Haru suddenly galloped towards the stable. This caused Kiku to drop her berries, but she clung to Haru and continued to stare up at the sky which the smoke had begun to rise up into. "Haru,," She asked again, but now they were in the stables, and Haru had lowered himself so she could get off. As if asking for her to stay there, he nudged her into the corner of his stall and ran back out of the stable. Kiku was too confused to move, so she stayed there until Haru suddenly walked back into the stall holding a ninja pouch in his mouth. He dropped that in front of Kiku, then he ran back outside and grabbed a few blankets and more straw which he also dropped in front of Kiku. Although Haru couldn't speak, Kiku understood his intentions, and knew that there was an emergency. So, she made herself comfortable with the blankets Haru brought her, and she waited with Haru standing perpendicular in front of her as if using his body as extra protection from whatever had been summoned. All of a sudden, there was a terrifyingly large screech, and both Haru and Kiku tensed as if knowing what the creature was. The ground shook, and there was a large sound heard from the forest, the trees could be heard snapping like twigs, and the ground continued to shake as if there were an earthquake. Haru hovered closer to Kiku as she clung to one of his legs tighter and tighter not knowing what was happening outside. All of a sudden, they saw a portion of the stable splinter and creak as if under a large amount of pressure, and the two of them watched with wide eyes as the entire section fell to pieces.

Kiku had closed her eyes at this point and covered her ears, shaking as she anticipated what would happen next. She prepared herself to be crushed like the stable and broken into pieces within seconds. She continued shaking in fear for a few seconds, but then the anxiety became too much, and she finally stopped shaking and blacked out laying on the makeshift bed.

 **Haru's POV**

I felt her tighten her grip on my leg, and I would've done the same had I been born with hands, but I was a horse so all I could do was close my eyes and lower my head. We feared for the same thing, but I feared more for her safety than my own, for this little girl was the most innocent, precious thing I've met since her mother brought me here. Both of them just exuded such a kind aura, even I couldn't resist it, so I vowed to protect that woman's child whenever they left. For the past 7 years I performed perfectly, and this child had never been in danger. Until now. I felt the intense aura of the beast which had been summoned, and even I almost began trembling in fear, but as soon as the aura appeared to almost destroy the both of us, it was leagues away from here, and closer to the village. I thanked anything that was holy that we lived far from the main city, and I looked down to see that the child had passed out. It was understandable, she was only a child. So I wrapped her up in the blanket and lied down next to her, still positioning myself so that anything that came through the stable doors wouldn't see her. I'm only a horse after all, who would want anything to do with a horse laying peacefully in a half-destroyed stable. I continued my surveillance out the destroyed portion of the stable, and I could feel the earth shaking from impacts every now and again, but I paid it no mind. As long as this child was safe, I didn't care what was happening outside. Seconds became minutes, and minutes became hours as I continued staring out the opening and feeling what seemed like a never ending earthquake before it stopped. Shocked, I stood up and walked over to the opening in the stable and saw the black smoke from fire and noticed that a chunk of the forest had been reduced to chopped fire wood. I also noticed that there was a light glow coming from the village. Other than the destruction I could immediately see, there was no other issues. Everything was still peaceful here in this farm, and the child was still passed out. I walked over to her, and began nudging her awake. When she woke up, she began to panic, but quickly realized that she was still alive, so she stood up and patted me on the head with her small hand.

 **Kiku's POV**

I patted Haru on the head, but then I noticed that the stable was still destroyed, and when I walked outside, I noticed that the forest was indeed destroyed and there was evidence of destruction near the main village. It was much darker now as well, so I knew I must've been passed out for a while, but not sure of exactly how long. I continued to survey my surroundings when all of a sudden, Haru bit onto the back of my shirt and carried me back to the makeshift bed and assumed the protective position he had before the stable had been destroyed. Just before I was about to question his actions, I heard a few people zip to the front of the stables. They made the same noise parents did when they came home.

"MAMA! PAPA! I'M RIGHT HERE, BEHIND HARU!" I screamed, after being unsure of what had happened, the comfort of knowing her parents were back was unbelievable. As I began to walk around Haru, I looked up and realized that the people in front of the stable were definitely NOT her parents. She quickly ran back to the bed and drew the blankets around her and hid as best she could. She heard Haru neigh aggressively, grunt, shuffle, and all of a sudden, there was a lound noise heard then a man complaining. I looked up from my blanket, and saw that Haru had just bucked one of the ninja straight out of the stable. The other ninja looked surprised, but didn't attempt to walk into the stable like the other ninja. Instead, he was smarter than that, "Hey, we saw you from around the horse. Are you ok?" The ninja asked loudly from outside the stable. I was going to answer, but then Haru stood closer in front of me as if telling me to stay quiet. So I complied and didn't make a noise. Maybe these ninja were enemies, Haru would never let me get hurt. He's kind. They may not be so kind. The ninja continued to prompt more answers from me, but I didn't answer, and eventually he left. After a few minutes of silence, and no other visitors, Haku seemed to relax and laid down next to me. Both of us were tired, but Haku fell asleep immediately, he didn't even bother to stand up and sleep like horses usually do, so I decided to close my eyes and get away from this new reality for at least a while, but the peace didn't last.

After what felt like only a few seconds, I was awake again, and the sun was high with Haru trotting back near me with what looked like a pouch in his mouth. He placed it in front of me, and I realized that it was some fruits. So I ate, and enjoyed his company for the duration of my meal. It was a comfortable silence, but I wondered what would happen, and what I had to do before parents came back, because they always came back. One time, father had a sprained ankle, but mother carried him back anyways and they would give me some sweets or something for being late. But they always came back, so I was positive that they would be back soon with a pouch of sweets and a smile on their faces. They always smiled when they came home. However, there was a horrible feeling in my gut, and I didn't know what to do, so I stared blankly at the rest of my uneaten fruit and continued thinking of everything my parents would do when they got home.

They would first give me and Haru sweets, then they would argue about something that dad said, then he'd laugh it off, he'd kiss her forehead, and she would smack him on the shoulder. Then I'd jump into his arms, and start telling them about everything that happened that day while they were gone, and they'd laugh and smile at everything I said. Then mom would start cooking some food for everyone while I ate my sweets and dad would tell me everything they did that day. Then—

All of a sudden, I jerked myself out of my thoughts as I heard Haru shift into his protective position, and I dropped my fruit and reached for the ninja pouch that Haru dropped in front of me at first. I grabbed the kunai knife thing my dad used to always have, and I held it the same way he did when he thought there was a thief one time. I sat there, and I heard someone zip to the front of the stable like they all seemed to do. Once I heard them step inside and saw Haru shift to kick them out like the first ninja, I prepared myself to run or strike once Haru did, and just before my cue, Haru didn't strike. I sat confused, for a second, then I peered around Haru to see why he would change his mind about kicking the intruder out. Then I saw that the intruder was a teenager holding a familiar pouch. It was my mother's pouch with a flower pattern that she would sling over her back to hold my sweets and Haru's treats, but she wasn't the one holding it out to Haru. It was this teen. I dropped my kunai and walked next to Haru and looked at the kid.

"Are you Kiku?" He asked. I nodded my head still confused as to why he was the one offering Haru the pouch and not mom. He passed me the pouch and I accepted it but continued to stare at him.

"I'm so sorry, but please come with me. You and your horse. The Hokage will explain it to you." He stepped to outside and gestured for me to follow him. I looked up and Haru, and Haru began to move towards the kid, so I tapped his side to stop and I mounted him before he continued to Haru. Sitting on top of Haru, I realized the extent of the damage to the land around us, and I saw huge paw prints left in the earth around the house. Before I could ask anything though, Haru began trotting behind the kid who was running pretty fast, and I decided to hold my questions for the Hokage. Soon enough, we made it into town where I had never been before, but everything was destroyed, and there was an old man in the center of the action giving orders and people would swarm to him before running off to do something. Once the kid walked up to him, though, he looked up to me and out of respect, I decided to hop off Haru and look up and the old man.

"Are you the Hokage?" I asked

"Yes, I am. There's something I need to tell you Kiku." He said with a low voice I was actually surprised to hear. "This will be harsh, but it is necessary. Are you ok with that?" He asked.

"Yes, but where are my parents? I think they'll need to know too." I said looking around quickly to see if my parents were nearby.

"Kiku, I'm so sorry. But your parents don't need to know this, nor will they ever know." He said sadly.

"Why? They're pretty smart, and they say that anything I do is important to them, so they do need to know." I said insistently. I looked over to the teen who walked us over here, and he turned his head down to the ground as sadly as the Hokage's voice sounded.

"Kiku, please listen to me. Your parents are dead." The hokage said. There were words that followed, but I was too shocked to hear them, I may have even interrupted what he was saying, but

"They're not dead, they were just training." I said suddenly, looking up at the hokage.

"Kiku. They were going to come back, but they were one of the first to die. You need to understand, they are dead now." The hokage said holding my shoulders and crouching down to be eye-level with me.

"No, they're not. They'll be home soon, so I should get back." I said frantically and went to reach for Haku's back.

"KIKU." The hokage yelled. It got my attention and I saw that his eyes began to glisten with potential tears. I looked into his sad eyes, "They are dead. I am so sorry." He said, and finally I felt the truth hit me like a rush of cold air, and I felt the weight crush my chest as I felt a crater begin to form where my lungs used to be. All of a sudden, I started to wail. The hokage hugged me to his chest and started whispering things to me, and I felt Haru's face nudge my back, so I disengaged myself from the Hokage, and hugged Haru's leg, still wailing as I felt Haru trying to comfort me. I stayed like that for a while until my sobs were reduced to hiccups and puffy eyes. Then I finally turned to realize that the Hokage was still behind me, waiting for me to calm down even though I noticed that his eyes were still red too. "Kiku, please follow me. I have accomodations for you." He said softly and gestured for me to follow him. There was a small hut just outside the destruction but still within the limits of where the city used to be. "You can stay here with your horse while we continue rebuilding the city. I don't want to, but I need you to become just as brave of a ninja as your parents were. We lost a lot during that attack, so I need you to be brave. In a few weeks the academy will be rebuilt, and I need you to attend. Do you understand?" He asked. At first, I didn't understand what he was asking, but once I realized the importance of his words, I nodded slowly. "Thank you. I am very sorry, but please bear with it for a while. I'll come and check on you as soon as I can, but that may not be for a while. Will you be ok?" He asked. I nodded again, more quickly this time. With a small smile and a quick pat on the head, the hokage walked away from the hut he left me at, and continued with orders and getting this village rebuilt again. I looked towards Haru and walked into the hut where I laid down on the mattress in the corner of the room and rolled onto my back looking up at the ceiling. _I wish parents were here._ I thought to myself. _I wish that thing never killed them. I wish they stayed home. I wish I went with them._ As I kept thinking to myself, I felt tears start to form in my eyes again, so I closed my eyes and hoped for a longer sleep that last. With my final hopes for a peaceful night, I felt myself drift into sleep along with Haku's peaceful breaths on the other side of the hut.


End file.
